Next week’s election will not only decide the next president of the United States but also who represents the 14th District in the Illinois Senate. The office has been a family tradition for Emil Jones III for years. With his father, state Senate Pr
Next week’s election will not only decide the next president of the United States but also who represents the 14th District in the Illinois Senate.
The office has been a family tradition for Emil Jones III for years. With his father, state Senate President Emil Jones Jr., set to retire in the coming months, Jones III is looking to take the mantle and continue the tradition.
Jones III, a Democrat, is a Senate candidate and is running against Republican Raymond Wardingley.
Candidate Jones said keeping the 14th District, located on the city’s far South Side and represented by his family, would be an honor.
“Some things have been a part of a family for years, and for me, it’s the 14th District,” he said. “I have had a great teacher my whole life.”
That teacher is his father, Jones Jr., a longtime Democrat who is stepping down after 35 years as a public servant.
During these tough, economic times, Jones III said voters want to be assured that their elected officials understand their needs.
“I understand the issues my constituents are facing. If elected, I will take one step at a time to make sure the right things are done for my district and the state,” he said.
He added that his top priorities would include improving school funding, increasing the minimum wage and creating more jobs.
“We need to do a better job at funding our schools because children should not be at school without books or adequate classroom space to learn,” Jones said.
School funding is a major concern for voters, especially those whose children attend Chicago Public Schools. In September, state Sen. James Meeks (D-15th) organized a two-day boycott of CPS over funding disparities between some wealthier suburban school districts and CPS.
Currently, Jones works as an administrator with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. His duties include overseeing grants to businesses in Cook County and informing small businesses about the various loans available to them for such things as employee training.
As far as jobs and economic development, Jones said plans for an airport in Peotone, which U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd) proposed more than 10 years ago, could accomplish both goals.
“I think a third Chicago area airport is needed not just for the jobs it would create or for the economic development it would stir but to help ease congestion for travelers,” Jones said. “Our community needs better jobs and better social services as well.”
In total, Jones said he has worked 10 years in state government, which includes four years as an executive assistant to the director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security. He also said that he knows what a fair wage is and the current minimum wage of $7.75 an hour is not it.
“I would definitely fight to increase minimum wage until it is enough for people to be able to support themselves,” he said. “Right now, the current minimum wage does not do that.”
When he is not working, Jones, who is single and has no children, said he enjoys watching the National Geographic and History channels and cooking.
“I make a mean seafood gumbo,” he said.
He is the youngest sibling and has two older brothers and one older sister. After attending a private, suburban high school, Jones III studied business at Chicago State University and Robert Morris College but never earned a degree.
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